Coolidge, Montana

The ghost town of Coolidge, Montana: Established in 1914, 42 years after silver was first discovered at the Old Elkhorn Mine in 1872; Prior to 1882 ore had to be hauled by wagon to Utah, then sent by railroad to San Francisco and from there by ship to Swansea, Whales where the smelters were located; 1919 saw the completion of the last narrow gauge railroad in the United States (between Coolidge and the town of Divide); The Elhorn Mill, completed in 1922, was the largest in Montana; Construction of the mill, railroad and electricity cost an estimated $5 million, however by 1949 total production of the Elkhorn mines had returned a mere $350,000. Sporadic mining continued until 1953. Unlike most mining towns, Coolidge never had a saloon.